12/11 Concert Calendar

Straight outta South Jersey, DJ Tanner Ross is coming to Analog in the Gaslamp to mellow the masses with his melodic tribal beatsmithery. Ross grew up playing in bands ranging from funk to punk, but it was studying synthesizers at Berkeley College of Music that refocused his passion on lounged-out, hypnotic beats. Might want to visit a dispensary (while their doors are still open) and chillax before hitting this show.

“Legendary” falls short in describing reggae musician/producer Lee “Scratch” Perry, who helped define Bob Marley’s sound, pioneered the creation of dub music, recorded more than 40 albums, starred in Guinness commercials and a whole lot more, mon. Now 75, “Scratch” is reggae royalty-still riding high on irie vibes. Seeing his current live-show garb, a blend of blingy pimp and Jamaican robot, is reason enough to attend.

Hailing from an era of pure cocaine and rockin’ bellbottoms, Cleveland natives Dazz Band set the disco ball spinning into overdrive with their ‘70s-born, bass-laden funk. The group’s in-the-pocket grooves are funkier than George Clinton’s week-old leftovers, and their classics like “Let It Whip” and “Shake Your Pants” will have all in attendance wishing Soul Train was still on TV.

Costa Mesa beach-goths The Growlers tour in an old veggie oil-powered school bus. They shoot music videos with VHS cameras, record albums on analog tape machines and probably shower monthly. A true neo-hippy commune, The Growlers create jangly surf rock that defies categorization-melding Dick Dale, The Doors and The Grateful Dead with random pinches of Middle Eastern flavor. Their mystique is so sexy, bizarre and liberating that it compels many female fans to do “The Swim” (a dance move that involves holding your nose and waving your hand while crouching in mock submergence).

Built in 1946, the timelessly hip Lafayette Hotel was once a hideaway for celebrities like Bob Hope, Ava Gardner and Betty Grable. This New Year’s Eve, the property becomes a local-rock mansion. Kick off the night with a poolside set by one-man blues wrecking machine Low Volts, then grab a whiskey and cruise over to the Lafayette Room-where folk-rockers The Heavy Guilt will share a stage with surf punks The Creepy Creeps. Anthemic alt-rockers Transfer will chase The Silent Comedy’s folk-stomp revival into 2012 and close the night.